I was just wondering, in my pre NoFap days, I used to jack it 2-3 times daily to pictures of hot women who were usually dressed in tight skimpy clothes or underwear, and even pretty selfies of girls on social media. I never developed any weird fetishes like how guys usually do with porn, probably because I didn't do it as long. I also hear a lot about how if someone relapses, its best to use your imagination, but a picture was better for me, and I just want to know if that can mess with the brain as bad as porn?
Yes it is porn if you are fapping to the pictures. Sure it's OK to appreciate an attractive woman, but that doesn't mean fapping over her picture. It's just not good for you. I think if you fap, it's best to use your imagination... but try and do something more useful with your time and fap as little as possible...it is not the real thing.
My SO deleted some of my pictures he counted as P, a couple that were just of my face and a few wear I was dressed because he thought they were provocative (I didn't see them as sexy At All) when he was cleaning out his stash. Mind you I'm his SO. I'd say anything that makes you feel fappy is P. At least that's my SOs definition, and therefore isn't good to keep around. Good luck!
His thoughts were "any thing that he looked at that made him click next to P by looking at it" I support this I don't want him looking at my old pictures getting P Flashbacks and neither does he. I think it was a good call. I think the OP needs to decide for himself how strong his own urges are too.
Anything that causes an artificial rush of dopamine is not good during a reboot. If you are using images, videos, or stories then that is hurting your reboot. You need to allow your brain to relax and heal itself. In the beginning of your reboot it is VERY easy to get triggered... don't intentionally trigger yourself with any exciting images. Fantasizing while masturbating is a dangerous behavior that could lead to a relapse. Eventually the images stored in your brain will grow stale and you will go looking for fresh material. You might even ogle women in public and use those memories as masturbation material. Objectifying women is part of our addict behavior that needs to stop.
I've fapped to pictures, normal pictures of clothed females. Clearly was not porn. Was it right? No. Was it just as harmful as fapping to porn? Yes it was, same Coolidge Effect and addictive rush. And what female really wants random guys fapping to her pictures I mean there comes a time when you just need to grow up.
If they sexually arouse you they are porn substitutes (p/subs). These should be treated in the same way as regular porn.
